Accused Arsonist Indicted for Setting Fire to Ex's San Angelo Apartment

SAN ANGELO— A San Angelo man was indicted in April for allegedly setting his ex’s apartment on fire.

Ignacio Gonzalez, 32, has been indicted by a Tom Green County grand jury for arson after breaking into his ex’s apartment and setting it on fire.

According to court documents, on February 19, 2023, a call for service was made for the apartment complex at 4901 Ben Ficklin Road for an apartment that was on fire. The investigator was advised that the responding officer had security footage available and had the defendant, Gonzalez, detained.

Investigators spoke with the victim who advised that she left her door unlocked and was contacted by her sister that Gonzalez was at her apartment. The victim immediately returned to her apartment and when she opened her door, a cloud of smoke emerged from inside her residence, and she called for emergency assistance right away.

The victim advised that Gonzalez has been messaging her non-stop on Facebook the day prior to this event. A witness, who was outside the apartment complex when he saw Gonzalez enter the victim’s apartment. The witness also advised that he observed smoke coming from inside the victim’s apartment.

Investigators spoke with the Fire Investigator who said the fire was put out by the time of his arrival as it had a lack of oxygen to ignite further. The Fire Investigator also said that the fire was man-made and not an accidental fire. Investigators observed a small pile of burnt debris in one of the backrooms.

Video surveillance was reviewed of Gonzalez entering the apartment around 2:00 p.m. and leaving around 4:00 p.m. No other individuals were seen entering or leaving the apartment after Gonzalez and prior to the first responders arriving.

Gonzalez refused to speak about the incident.

With the combined statements, video evidence, and other findings, Gonzales was arrested for having started the fire inside the apartment. He was booked into the Tom Green County Detention Facility for arson on February 19, 2023, and was released on April 13, 2023, on $50,000 bond.